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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Mansoor Ijaz granted visa for Pakistan

Pakistani-American businessman, Mansoor Ijaz has been issued a visa from the Pakistan embassy in Bern, Switzerland, and will be able to travel to Pakistan on January 24 to appear before a judicial commission here in Islamabad.

A key witness of the Memogate scandal, Mansoor Ijaz is likely to appear before the judicial commission tasked with probing the controversy on January 24. Summons for his appearance before the commission on January 16 lapsed as Ijaz deferred his travel plans to Pakistan, citing security reasons and numerous threats received on his email most probably sent by the treacherous government.

On Monday, January 16, Ijaz’s counsel, Akram Sheikh, during the probe’s third sitting on Monday at the Islamabad High Court building gave assurances that his client will indeed travel to Pakistan. The commission comprises chief justices from the Balochistan, Sindh and Islamabad High Courts.

However, Sheikh added that his client and his family have reservations over their security while in Pakistan and believe they may not be allowed to return home. He sought an adjournment of the hearing until the Pakistani-American businessman appears before the commission to provide his testimony.

When asked by Justice Isa, “When will [Ijaz] come, we are running short of time,” Sheikh replied that his client has applied for a visa in Pakistan’s consulate in Bern, Switzerland. He added that Ijaz would ‘hopefully’ be granted a visa within two days, however, his schedule could not be disclosed due to security reasons.

Earlier, the court had directed the Pakistani diplomatic missions in England and Switzerland to grant Ijaz a visa as soon as one was applied for.